Opening at the Hope Summer Repertory Theatre on Friday, July 8 at 8 p.m. in the DeWitt Main Theatre is the award winning musical, Return to the Forbidden Planet by Bob Carlton. The musical integrates the great works of Shakespeare and music of the fifties.
Fasten your seat belts, return your tray tables to the upright position and prepare to blast off for rock and roll! Come aboard the starship Albatross on a routine scientific survey flight. But wait! We are hit by an asteroid storm, the science officer disappears, and our ship is being drawn into the planet D'Illyria by the evil force of Doctor Prospero. Will the passengers and crew survive? If survival depends on comedy and great rock and roll the answer is a resounding YES! Favorite musical hits include "Great Balls of Fire," "Good Vibrations," "Shake, Rattle and Roll," and "Born to be Wild."
Captain Tempest is played by Brian Patrick Williams, joining HSRT for his first season. He is a graduate of the Connecticut Repertory Theatre and University of Connecticut where he just graduated with a MFA. Some of his favorite roles include Mr. Bingley inPride and Prejudice, Cassio in Othello, Mr. Walker in The Who's Tommy and Claude inHair. Recently he worked with PUSH Physical Theatre Company in Rochester, NY on skills in non-traditional partnering, viewpoints, mime and ensemble-based devised Theatre. This summer you can also see him in the ensemble of Children of Eden and as Dr. Johnson in I Remember Mama.
Hayley Galbraith, returning for her second summer with HSRT, will be playing the smart and sassy Science Officer. Since graduating from the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts in Santa Maria, CA, she has worked with numerous regional theatre companies across the country. Last summer, Galbraith was seen as the Baker's Wife in Into the Woods, the Duchess of Champigny in An Italian Straw Hat and as Reba in The Last Night of Ballyhoo. Other credits include: Dotty Otley in Noises Off!, Beline in The Imaginary Invalid,
Adriana in A Comedy of Errors, Tzeitel in Fiddler on the Roof, Izzy in Rabbit Hole and Dolly Levi in Hello, Dolly!
Playing Miranda, the daughter of the evil Doctor Prospero, is Sarah Vogt. Vogt is also joining HSRT for her first season and will be beginning her senior year as a theatre performance major at the University of Evansville. Recent UE productions include The Hot L Baltimore (Girl), Force of Nature (Lucy/Lucianne), The Children's Hour (Mary), and As It Is In Heaven (Izzy). She can also be seen in Children of Eden and The Borrowers.
Directing the production is Fabio Polanco who has performed in many HSRT productions which include The Tempest, Twelve Angry Men, and Man of La Mancha. Directing credits include Sunday in the Park with George, Measure for Measure, The Spitfire Grill, Guys and Dolls, Dead Man Walking, Jesus Christ Superstar, Anyone Can Whistle, Godspell, Sweeney Todd, True West, Cloud Tectonics, Waiting for Lefty, I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change. In 2004 Fabio directed the Midwest premiere of Elizabeth Swados' Missionaries for which he was a finalist for Northern Ohio Live! Magazine's Award of Achievement in Theatre. A member of Actor's Equity, Fabio was recently seen in Bat Boy: the Musical and A Midsummer Night's Dream at Idaho Shakespeare Festival and Great Lakes Theatre Festival.
Performances of Return to the Forbidden Planet continue throughout the summer on July 9, 13, 15, 21, 18, August 3, 6, 9, and 11.
Tickets are now on sale through the DeWitt and DeVos Fieldhouse ticket offices. Prices range from $10-$26 for musicals and $8-$19 for plays. Season tickets, ranging from $48-$85, are also available.
The ticket office is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Beginning June 14 the ticket office is open on Saturdays at noon. On performance dates, the DeWitt Ticket Office will be open through intermission. The ticket office is located in DeWitt Cultural Center at 12th Street and Columbia Avenue. For tickets call the ticket office at 616-395-7890. For more information visit the HSRT website at www.hope.edu/hsrt.
The DeWitt Theatre is located at 141 East 12th street. The Knickerbocker Theatre is located in Holland's downtown on 8th street.
HSRT is now on facebook! Keep up to date with what's happening this season by searching Hope Summer Repertory Theatre on www.facebook.com.